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3 manufacturers in Oconto continue to operate during public health emergency

OCONTO – At least three manufacturers in Oconto have been able to continue to operate despite an order from Gov. Tony Evers requiring many businesses to shut down during the COVID-19 public health emergency.

Graphics Management Specialty Products, Nercon and LeTourneau Plastics fall under the exceptions to the order as they are considered either an “essential” business or are supplier to one or more of those businesses.

GMSP makes napkins and paper straws used in nursing home and medical facilities, along with food labels, so it is considered an essential business, said HR manager Irina Rivard.

Some of the facility’s 110 employees are able to work from home at least part of the time, though that’s not possible for production workers, where they try to follow social distance guidelines.

“The machines on the production floor are big and even if there’s a couple people on the machine, they absolutely can stay away six feet away from each other,” she explained.

Additional cleaning is being done, she added, and this week a contractor sprayed and antimicrobial solution on high contact surfaces that’s supposed to effective for 90 days, so wiping them down isn’t required as often.

Meetings and traffic into the plant are limited.

“We’re taking as much precaution as we possibly can,” Rivard said.

Employees have asked questions and expressed numerous concerns, as some are caring for children not in school or others, including relatives with compromised immune system.

Most are understanding, she said, as they try to follow the guidelines set down by state and federal agencies, even as new information is received daily.

“They are plowing through, and understanding that we are trying to figure it out, just like they are,” Rivard said.

Nercon is taking many of the same steps it’s taking at its production plant in Oconto and administrative offices in Neenah, including limiting travel between the two locations, Director Tom Luft said.

“We’re adhering to six foot social distancing, reminding people to work independently and keep distance from other employees, minimizing meetings and trying to do things on phone, restricted access to our facilities… to only essential employees,” he said.

They’ve also instituted extra cleaning, as well as twice-a-week sanitizing, and erected partitions in some areas, and emphasized frequent hand-washing to minimize the risk of exposure.

“We’re doing as much as we can to make it safe,” Luft said.

Nercon makes a wide range of conveyor products that is used by numerous food, pharmaceutical, cleanser and paper product manufacturers across the country, as well as in Canada and Mexico.

“(Those companies) basically said we need them to be open, so we can support them with their conveying needs in their production facilities, so we are considered an essential business,” Luft said.

Nercon has seen no easing of demand for service and parts

“Some of our customers are ramping up production of a variety of essential items and we’re here to support them and keep everybody stocked with the food and supplies they're receiving from those factories,” he said.

The company has about 140 employees, with about two-thirds of them in Oconto.

“I think a lot of our people feel honored to still be able to be working and be part of the vital network of suppliers,” Luft said. “I think it’s something our people take pride in."

LeTourneau Plastics is also continuing to operate because it supplies other essential companies that need to stay open, said President Paul LeTourneau. The company specializes in manufacturing and assembling parts for a wide variety of industries within the U.S. and abroad, including agriculture, food service, health care, and many others, according to its website.